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Getting around London
London is an old city and its public transport is not as
efficient as newer cities like Tokyo or New York.
Londoners rely heavily on the world's first underground railway,
much of which was built in the 1900s.
With a congested street-plan based on old rivers and city walls
and buildings dating back to before the car was even invented,
the top tip for getting about in London
is to avoid using a car.
Oh, and if you're ever lost, ask someone. You can do that here.
First class
- Taxi
-
Flag down a black cab when its orange
TAXI
light is lit.
Ask the driver roughly how much it is to your destination when you get in
but pay the metered fare (round it up to the nearest pound as a tip)
on arrival.
Expect to pay about £15 home from the West End.
Black cabs are fair, safe and the drivers
know where they are going.
If you ever have any problems with a driver then complain -
their license is at risk so most of the time they are brilliant.
Avoid mini-cabs in the city. Just say no thanks.
They are unreliable and no less expensive
unless you are prepared to bargain mercilessly over the price.
To order a black cab from any phone call
020 7432 1432.
You pay £2 extra for this but can pay by credit card and travel safely.
To book a mini-cab from 32 Russell Road
call a few numbers at least an hour in advance and ask what the fare
will be and when the mini-cab will arrive.
Expect to pay about £10 to the West End, £20 to Heathrow or £35 to Gatwick.
When you get to your destination pay only the fare quoted on the phone as
there is no meter in these mini-cabs.
Value
- Tube
-
It's old, it's not air-conditioned, it closes at midnight
and there are often delays but it does avoid the traffic.
District line trains run between Earl's Court platform 4 and
Kensington (Olympia) platform 1 every 15 minutes up to 11:30pm.
Otherwise Earl's Court tube station is a
15 minute walk.
At Earl's Court you can change trains for all other
District line services and the
Piccadilly line.
Also
15 minutes walk from here
are High Street Kensington tube station for the
Circle line and
Shepherd's Bush tube station for the
Central line.
Unfortunately the Central line isn't very reliable and the Circle line
is even worse.
You should leave home one hour before you are
due anywhere in the City or West End.
Pick up a Charter form at any tube station if you have been delayed
by more than 15 minutes and post it back to claim your refund.
You'll be doing this about one journey in twenty.
- Trains
-
Blue
silverlink and green
Southern trains run
every 15 minutes from Kensington Olympia platform 3 down
to Clapham Junction
where you can change to south London and Portsmouth services. The
Southern trains continue
to Gatwick for Gatwick airport and connections to Brighton.
From Kensington Olympia platform 2
blue
silverlink trains run every 15 minutes
up to Willesden Junction for connections to north London
and yellow or green
South Central
trains run up to Watford Junction.
- Bus
-
Not as quick as the tube but it can take you closer to your destination
and it's a good way to see London and get a feel for where things are in
relation to each other in the city.
You should wait about 15 minutes for a bus during the day but
up to 45 minutes at night.
From the bottom of Holland Road near the Hilton Olympia:
- 9 and N9 run 24 hours through Knightsbridge to
Picadilly Circus, Trafalgar Square and the Strand.
Catch the N9 outside Charing Cross station at quarter to and
quarter past every hour at night to be sure of a seat home.
- 10 and N10 run 24 hours through Knightsbridge,
up Park Lane then along Oxford Street.
- 27 runs west to Chiswick and east through Paddington
to Camden.
To the top of Holland Road outside the Kensington Hilton:
- N207 runs from Victoria up Charing Cross Road,
then starts along Oxford Street at :00, :20 and :40
past the hour through the night.
- Travelcards
-
A travelcard is valid on all tube, train and bus services in the zones
purchased and saves money if you make more than two tube trips per day.
Day (after 9:30am) and Weekend travelcards are easy to buy without
photo ID.
(Tourist passes like
London Pass are not of useful value.)
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